1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a magazine assembly for a fastener driving tool, and particularly to a side load magazine assembly having an elongated fastener carrier adapted to pivot about an axis parallel to the fastener feed path for loading fasteners into the tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of magazine assemblies for fastener driving tools are known in the art. Known assemblies are difficult to reload when the fasteners in the magazine require replacement. While some attempts have been made to provide easily loaded magazine assemblies, these attempts have not succeeded because they have resulted in magazines that were extremely complex or that were not compact and easy to use.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,927 to Fehrs discloses a magazine assembly for a fastener driving tool having a rigidly secured elongated rail for carrying fasteners in a fastener feed path. A pusher biases the fasteners toward the drive track. A slidingly mounted cover fits over the rail and closes the magazine assembly. In order to load fasteners into the magazine, the pusher is retracted and engages the cover to displace it in a direction transverse to the fastener feed path, thus exposing the elongated rail to allow fasteners to be loaded into the magazine assembly. Once the magazine assembly is loaded the cover is returned to a position over the elongated rail. However, with such a design, the magazine is stationary, thus requiring the fasteners to be loaded from the top and under the tool handle, which is relatively awkward.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,614 to D'Haem et al and Japanese Patent No. 52-13182 disclose fastener driving tools having a rigidly secured elongated carrier defining a fastener feed path for carrying fasteners and the like. A spring loaded pusher is slidingly carried by the carrier to urge the fasteners forwardly. A top cover is provided to close the magazine assembly. The cover is pivotably mounted at one end about an axis transverse to the fastener feed path. In an operative position, the free end of the cover is securely latched directly over the elongated rail. The latch is released by retracting the pusher which unlatches the cover such that the cover will flip open under the influence of a spring. Since these prior art fastener driving tools also have a rigidly secured fastener carrier, fasteners must also be loaded onto the carrier from the top and under the tool handle which is relatively awkward.
Various other types of known magazine assemblies for fastener driving tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,624,401; 4,597,517; 3,905,535; 3,437,250, 1,634,840 and German Offenlegungschrift (OLS) No. 1 188 009. In general, the magazine assemblies disclosed in the prior art are awkward to operate. For example, the magazine assembly disclosed in the German OLS No. 1 188 009 is connected for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the fastener drive path. To load fasteners into the tool, the magazine assembly must be swung out from the tool in a horizontal plane to expose the fastener carrier. Since the fastener driving tool is relatively heavy, such an operation is awkward and takes up a relatively large work space.